SPANISH FORK — American Leadership Academy inaugurated its home field Friday night against Manti. The new artificial turf held up well in the pouring rain, but the Templars did all the damage on the field, running over American Leadership for a 37-7 win.
It was Manti's first win of the season against an Eagle team that had the look and feel of a first-year school with a young and thin roster. In a stadium still under construction, the game was played without the aid of a scoreboard or large loudspeaker system, and temporary bleachers were brought in for the fans.
Once the game got under way, the Templars made quick work of American Leadership and scored touchdowns on their first three possessions.
"I'm glad for the kids," said Manti coach Cole Meacham. "They've worked really hard this year. It's been tough to keep their chin up but they've done it. Our seniors have really had great attitudes and helped us through it."
Running back Tyler Thomson stole the show for the Templars, scoring 25 of his team's 37 points and running circles around the Eagle defense.
Thomson took a handoff on the first play for scrimmage and ran a sweep 68 yards into the end zone almost untouched. The play set the tone for the rest of the game and Thomson scored the next three touchdowns for Manti.
Thomson "had a great game," said Meacham. "We gave the ball a little bit more to him tonight. Tyler just ran hard."
Thomson scored on runs of nine and 21 yards in the first quarter and added a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter.
The only thing that didn't go right for Manti during the game was extra points. The Templars missed three PAT attempts and a pair of two-point conversion attempts. Thomson made the only PAT of the game on his last touchdown.
Late in the first half, Chase Pili, playing with a slight hamstring injury, scored on a six-yard run that made the score 31-0 at halftime.
The referees shortened the game in the second half by continuously running the clock, and each team got one more score.
Manti quarterback Griffin Aste hit Matt Bingham for a 54-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, and Eagles quarterback Cameron Eagle scored a touchdown on a nine-yard keeper and kicked an extra point on the last play of the game to take away the shutout.